What’s your real world?

I was going to write something else today, something probably boring (& science-y, like the other post 🤓)… but I was so touched by a post of a student, now friend, I’m swelling with gratitude and feeling in awe of the universe. And in a group text, a few of us are marveling at how people cross paths, lives change, journeys divert and suddenly you look up and you’re in awe of where you ended up! Like I do ramble on and on about in class 🤪, if you get out of your head, out of the preconceived ideas of what is or what should be, once you live in the present, free from your internal dialogue, and you look at what the universe has presented you, you may see it’s beyond anything you ever conceived. The present!

I had other plans for my life, different education, had other careers, other plans for my family, that changed, life changed, my body changed, so my athletics changed, then another career… and now here I am absolutely loving what I do, and who it has me meet. I’m so grateful for every chance I get to share what I love on the mat. And so blessed for those who come to class and become my true friends! 
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And yes I will have to repost @greg.matos ‘s post because it’s gonna be my digital card now 🤣🤣
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#heartisfull #sappyyogateacherpost #feelingblessed
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#yogaclasses #yogateacher #venicebeach #losangeles #yoga #LifeThroughtheOtherLens
#yogainlosangeles #yogastrong #yogastrength #yogabody #recoveredathlete #rebuiltspine #yogaclass #yogapractice #yogalife #longevity #health #yogacommunity #marinadelrey ...

My yoga practice has been my sanctuary, sometimes my “terrordome ” (as with Rocket 😂), sometimes my place of fire (tapas), and self-study (Svadhyaya)… sometimes welcome, and sometimes not. My practice is my school, the never ending lessons of presence, of acceptance and of rejection, often of just quieting the mind. Everyday I feel my road ahead has yet so far to go, and still, I can’t believe my broken and repaired body is giving me what it is now. Every single practice is a journey I’ve come to live for! I’m grateful for those who teach me and for the community of yogis I’ve become part of! 🙏🏼🧘🏼‍♀️💪🏼
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#yogaclasses #yogateacher #venicebeach #losangeles #yoga #LifeThroughtheOtherLens
#yogainlosangeles #yogastrong #yogastrength #yogabody #recoveredathlete #rebuiltspine #yogaclass #yogapractice #yogalife #yogagirl #yogacommunity #marinadelrey ...

Tomorrow, Tuesday 6pm, is the last of our September Sunset Sand Yoga Sesh’s!! It’s been such a beautiful way to spend our evenings moving into fall and celebrating our #endlesssummer!! I’m so grateful for all of you who have been joining!! Be sure to come tomorrow, near Driftwood in MDR/Venice Beach, for our final one… for now! 😉🌅🌴 ...

Over the last 2 decades my life has taken such turns and led me down paths that had me take leaps into neuroscience.
When I started to hear that I was experiencing massive injury to my spine, I called one of my best friends from a hospital exam room,
“They say I have all these things broken in my spine!” I told her.
“I’m putting you on the phone with my husband,” she said.
“But he’s a neurosurgeon! There’s nothing wrong with my brain!” I exclaimed!
“It’s the spine, too, dummy!” Haha… little did I know!
And even before that, having a child with autism and learning absolutely everything I could about sensory integration, vestibular and proprioceptive senses, organizing the central nervous system, and neurology. It’s taken me on an incredible exploration of neuroscience that only re-ignited my learning in yoga!
These days, I’m studying health and longevity and staving off long-term diseases using our yoga practice, like those of the brain, dementia and Alzheimer’s. (More about this in another post!)
It’s such a vast fascinating field I know I can only touch the tip of the iceberg. But I try to incorporate this in my flows. Here was a bit from this last week. Let me know what you think of these tricky revolving Asanas that cross the midline on opposing ends of the body!
If you’d like to hear more, if you’d like to learn which poses can be a real neuro-workout in addition to physical, why Ekapada Khoundinyasana creates new pathways in the brain, or if you’d like to learn how to create the longest life full of activity and mental vitality, starting now, whether you’re 25 or 75… join me on my #yogaretreat in the Turks and Caicos in December where I’ll be going into depth on this topic!
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@massoudik @farzadmassoudi 🙏🏼#Forevergrateful
#yogaclasses #yogateacher #autismmom #asd #autism #neuroyoga #venicebeach #losangeles #yoga #LifeThroughtheOtherLens #yogainlosangeles #yogastrong #yogastrength #yogabody #recoveredathlete #rebuiltspine #yogaclass #yogapractice #yogalife #yogagirl #longevity #alzheimers #dimentia #yogacommunity #marinadelrey #neurology #revolvingasanas #neuroscience ...

Having had such a massive injury to my spine and hips, multiple surgeries and then a spinal fusion, I have to work consistently every single day to not only continue to move but to try to increase my flexibility… but also, more importantly, internally, to turn off the negative narrator which likes to remind me of my perceived limits and tell me I`m a fraud teaching yoga. #impostersyndrome
Value as a yoga teacher doesn`t come from an ability to do any pose but rather the effectiveness of reaching your students both in asana and in life. Students don`t walk out of a class feeling good because you can demo a pose, they walk out feeling good when they`ve moved the energy in their body, felt a safe space to explore, unlocked a pose they never did before, or let go of a limiting belief! I try to impart this in every class. Yes, there are still poses I can`t do, or poses I could do but can`t do since my spine rebuild, like any backbend! (Even sitting upright in split is hard on my sacrum and lumbar spine and hip). This teaches me perseverance and patience. I offer my knowledge gained in my experience, on and off the mat, on a variety of topics, through our yoga practice.
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What`s a yoga pose you can`t do? Share in the comments. Let me know your thoughts.
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*Note* To work on splits, we work daily in class on: 1. Anjaneyasana to Half Split (flat low-back) 2. Lizard to modified Pyramid 3. High lunge to Pyramid 4. Ending with Supine splits, straight and Supine Padangustasana 2 & 3.
Hope this helps!
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#yogaclasses #yogateacher #visvamitrasana #venicebeach #losangeles #yoga #LifeThroughtheOtherLens #yogainlosangeles #yogastrong #yogastrength #yogabody #recoveredathlete #rebuiltspine #yogaclass #yogapractice #yogalife #yogagirl #longevity #yogacommunity #marinadelrey ...